Platte River Valley, Nebraska
One of nature’s most amazing migrations happens each fall and spring when sandhill cranes fly along the Central Flyway in Nebraska and gather in the fertile Platte River Valley. About 90 percent of the world’s sandhill crane population, approximately 500,000, can be seen and heard along the 30 miles of Platte River between Kearney and Grand Island.
There are ample locations to view this remarkable migration, but specially constructed blinds are available at the National Audubon Society’s Rowe Sanctuary near Kearney and at the Crane Trust near Grand Island. The best times for viewing are sunrise and sunset, when the birds depart and arrive at their roosting areas on the Platte.
– James Richardson